We taped the nine intros in advance, shooting about six minutes of discussion per, which was then carefully edited down to 3 or 3-1/2 minutes for each segment. Sometimes the editing is very smooth, sometimes it creates awkward jumps in my narrative… but what’s important is our opportunity to screen and discuss these films in prime time. I, for one, want to see this happen again (and again, and again). Feel free to let TCM know that you support the idea of regular classic animation evenings! The best way is to post on their forums.

For now, here’s one of the edited segments – this is one (of two) introducing several UPA cartoons.

PARTNER MESSAGE

UPDATE: In case you missed them, here are all nine of my TCM host segments, posted on You Tube.

Great job, Jerry. I was watching with my 5 year old daughter, and while you and Robert were discussing the cartoons,etc., Gale would turn to me and say “why don’t they stop talking and show the cartoons?”
Very enjoyable evening!

Just wanted to add one more comment. MR. BUG GOES TO TOWN is an amazing movie. This is the first time I have seen it, and I was totally blown away by the film.
I am so glad I got to see this.

David

I hadn’t seen any of the cartoons except for the UPA’s last night. The selection couldn’t have been better. The silents were really interesting, top notch musical scores for these. Mr Bug was awesome. I particularly enjoyed the facial expressions of C. Bagley Beetle. I hope you get asked back for another event.

IncredibleJeff

Such a great night.I would love if this happened more frequently.

Jim Roebuck

_Two_ Farmer Al Falfa cartoons – and not one mouse in either one of them! Speaking as I do for all the mice out there, I must say I was _very_ disappointed.

Seriously :-) Fine job, Mr. Beck! As well as Tom Stathes. I had no idea that Paul Terry’s second cartoon, “Down on the Phoney Farm,” had survived, nor that it was the debut of the lovely and talented Farmer Al Falfa. “The Artist’s Dream”/”The Dachshund and the Sausage” was a hoot, and it was wonderful to see “Gulliver’s Travels” and “Mr. Bug Goes to Town.”

Jed Martinez

I’d never been so glad to see those two Fleischer Bros. features complete, unedited, and uninterrupted. (I even didn’t mind the TCM.com bumper in the lower-right part of my TV screen, this time.) Every time I saw “Gulliver’s Travels” and “Mr. Bug Goes To Town” – when it aired on WABC Ch.7, back in the 1960s and 1970s – it was always a whittled-down version, with too many commericials, and many scenes on the cutting room floor. Thanks, Jerry, for finally finding a venue worthy of airing the full-length versions of each cartoon.

I even stayed up for the UPA shorts presentation, and a majority of the silent cartoon fare (after Midnight), and I enjoyed practically everything I saw. (“Fudget’s Budget” was a first for my eyes, and I thought it was graphically ingenious.) Here’s hoping that you find more rare animated fare to showcase on TCM in the near future.